Stacy Kozakavich wrote:
>
> To all Histarch subscribers:
>
> I am presently working with a small collection of leather footwear from a ca.1
900-1920 agricultural village site in Saskatchewan, Canada.
 
Stacy,
I too am working on a dissertation from the ca. 1900-1920 time frame, to
your westward in interior Alaska at turn of the century mining towns.
Though not plentiful, our field schools have excavated leather shoes,
rubber "overboots" (slip-ons over one's shoes), and rubber boots.  Many
grommets from boots/shoes also.  One cabin excavated in 1996 had many
thousands of shoe nails, some rusted together in small cubes (likely in
boxes whose cardboard has since disintegrated).  In same cabin were
thousands of heel stiffeners and heel plates.  All of these were found
concentrated in the anteroom of a small cabin; the occupant likely a
shoemaker/repairer.
 
Unfortunately, I can't really help you with your request for references;
cataloguing continues, and I am working full time this summer for a
government agency.  Just thought I'd say hello and let you know someone
else out here shares your problems of footwear.  I would be interested
in any references others might share with you.
 
Best regards,
Robin Mills
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Anthropology Dept.
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